Curtain-fixture



' (No Iodel.)

G. L. BA'ILEY.

J Curtain Fixtures. 7

No. 233,961. Patented Nov. 2, 1880.

":Qjji'jjjjji. 1i

MEETERS. FHDTO-LITHOGRAPMER, WASHINGTON DJ) UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFIcn.

GILBERT L. BAILEY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

CURTAIN- FIXTURE.

SPEOIFIGA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,961, datedNovember 2, 1880.

Application filed July 1, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GILBERT L. BAILEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in thecounty ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of curtainfixtures wherein a coiledspring is used to wind up the curtain and a weight to balance thetension of the spring; and the objects of my improvements are, first, toprovide a frictional device for resisting the gravity force of theweight when the curtain is up and the spring at its lowest tension 5and, second, to provide a simple means of holding the tension of thespring when the roller is removed from its brackets. I attain theseobjects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of an ordinary spring-actuatedroller with my invention attached; Fig. 2, a top view of that part orend of the spindle to which the locking device is applied; Fig. 3, avertical sectional view of the pivot or bearing, showing the stop-pin;and Fig. 4, aperspective view of the cylindrical spring-bearin g.

My invention being applicable to nearly all the spring-balance rollers,now made, any description of their mechanism for rolling up the curtainwould be superfluous. I therefore omit it here, as I do not claimanypart thereofas my invention.

Referring to the first part of my invention, in the solid end of theroller T, or through a separate piece to be attached to the end of theroller-the latter preferred-a cavity or hole is made, against thecircumference of which the cylindrical spring-bearing P expands by itsown tension with more or less force when placed therein. The two ends ofthe springbearing which are' left apart when made are brought together,forming a hollow cylinder, which closely fits the hole in the end of theroller. The spring-bearing has one or more openings, 10, through itscircumference, as shown in Fig. 3. A pivot or bearing, A, projects fromthe inside face of bracket 1, of a size to fit loosely inside thespring-bearing, having a square or rectangular hole made verticallythrough its diameter, in which stop-pin X is made to move freely, andthe lower end of which is beveled on one side. The working positions ofthese parts are shown in vertical section in Figs. 1 and 4.

Its operation is as follows The roller, with the shade wound upon it,being placed in position, when the shade is drawn downward, the stop Xdrops into one of the openings in the spring-bearing, holding it fast,while the roller revolves upon its outer surface, the tendency of thespring-bearing to expand causing considerable friction between the twosurfaces, which, when the shade is at rest, acts as a counter-balance toits weight, preventing it from running down when the tension of theroller-spring is reduced beyond that required to overbalance the weightin the shade. When the weight is lifted the roller-sprin g starts theroller in the opposite direction and the stoppin on its beveled sideslides out of the opening in the spring-bearing, leaving the latter toturn with the roller on the bracket-bearing, thus transferring thefriction from the outside to the inside of said bearing and reducing itmaterially, so that the roller-spring has only to wind up the unweightedshade on an ordinary bearing. Then the shade is raised to the desiredpoint and the weight released, if there is any tendency in the shade torun down, stop X again drops into one of the openings in thespring-bearing and holds it and the roller against the gravity force ofthe weight, the latter not being sufficient of itself to overcome thefriction caused by the springbearing. By this arrangement it will beseen that a spring of much lower tension may be used to wind up theshade than is necessary in the ordinary spring-rollers, thus allowingasmaller roller to be used, requiring less nicety of adjustment andrendering the parts much more durable and convenient.

In the second part of my invention the projecting part of spindle Lwhichotherwise is made in the usual form-is cut away on one side, leaving aflat surface from near its outer end to where it enters the roller, towhich, at a point near its outer end, a thin metal plate or arm, F,about the width and length of the flat surface, is pivoted, which entersand rests in the bracket with the spindle. Ashorter flat surface,leaving a shoulder, is made on the opposite side at the end of thespindle, to keep it from turning with the roller, and from movingendwise when placed in its bracket, which latter is of the ordinarynotched form. So long as the spindle is held in its bracketin which itmay be placed without regard to which ot' two sides is uppermost-the armF is upheld in its position in line with the spindle, or nearly so, byresting on the bottom of the notch in the bracket. When the roller isremoved from the brackets its spring causes the spindle to rotaterapidly, and the free end of arm F is thrown out by ceutri' fugal force,or falls by the force of gravity, and comes in contact with a pin orstud, h, placed in the end of the roller, as shown in broken lines inFig. 1, stopping the rotation of the spindle and holding the tension ofthe spring until the roller is again placed in the brackets and movedagainst the action of the spring, when the arm drops from the upper, oris forced up by contact with the bottom of the notch in the bracket fromthe lower side into position along the spindle where the pins will notstrike it. A slight shoulder is left at the end of the spindle justbeyond the pivoted end of arm F, against which the latter strikes,preventing it from being thrown out too far.

I have applied the first part of my invention in severalways-formstance, placing the spring-bearingin the bracket and haveajournal on the roller carrying the stop'pin enter said bearing; also,having the spring-bearing fit closely on the roller-journal and rest inan irregularly-shaped and enlarged bearing in the bracket, having afixed stop-pin in said bracket to stop the spring bearing, which would,in that case, revolve with the roller when the shade was wound up; but Iprefer the first method herein described.

I am aware that prior to my invention fric tion devices and devices forholding the tension of the spring have been applied to springrollers invarious ways. 1 therefore do not claim, broadly, such application as myinvention; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a spring shade or curtain roller, a hollow cylindricalspring-bearing expanding and fitting closely against the inside bearingof the roller at one end and loosely upon a pivot or bracket-bearinghaving one or more openings in its circumference, in combination with astop-pin loosely fitting in the bracket-bearing, and adapted to dropinto said opening and stop the revolution of said cylindricalspringbearing when the shade is drawn down,and to be released therefromand allow the said bearing to revolve with the roller upon thebrackethearing when the shade is wound up, substantially as set forth.

2. In a spring shade or curtain roller, a hollow cylindricalspring-bearing so constructed and applied, in combination with asuitable bracket-bearin g and stop-pin, that the friction, when theshade is drawn down, shall be upon the outer surface, and in rolling theshade up upon the inner surface, of said spring-bearin g, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a spring curtain or shade roller, a ho]- low cylindricalspring-bearing, in combination with the said roller and its bracket andastoppin so constructed and arranged that the frietion of saidcylindrical hearing, when the shade is moved up and down, shall beautomatically changed alternately from the outside to the inside surfaceof said bearing, substantially as described.

4. In a spring curtain or shade roller, 1101 low cylindrical springbearing P, with its openings 1), stop-pin X, and bracket-bearing A,combined and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a spring curtain or shade roller, a metal arm or plate pivoted atone end to the spindle and resting within a bracket, in combination withone or more pins or studs fixed in the end of the roller, so constructedand arranged that the free end of said arm or plate will be brought bycentrifugal force or by the force of gravity, or by both, into contactwith one of said pins and stop the revolution of the spindle when theroller is removed from its brackets, substantially as described.

GILBERT L. BAILEY.

Witnesses:

THOMAS K. JONES, WARREN W. COLE.

